September 27, 3001 (S.R. 1401)1. Bilbo crosses the Shire(not from the appendices-no text)...Bilbo makes his way to Rivendell as Frodo and Hobbiton recover from the Long-Expected Party. Bilbo's mysterious disappearance, followed by Gandalf's, became the frenzied topic of conversation at the Green Dragon and every other pub and fence in the Shire.

September 27, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Gandalf crosses Greyflood.(from the appendices)..."Ever as I came north I heard tidings of the Riders, and though I gained on them day by day, they were ever before me."

2. In the house of Tom Bombadil. (not from the appendices)..."'Good morning, merry friends!' cried Tom, opening the eastern window wide. A cool air flowed in; it had a rainy smell. 'Sun won't show her face much today, I'm thinking.... ... Forget the nightly noises! Ringa ding dillo del! derry del, my hearties! If you come soon you'll find breakfast on the table. If you come late you'll get grass and rain-water!' ...Needless to say—not that Tom's threat sounded very serious—the hobbits came soon, and left the table late and only when it was beginning to look rather empty.

......Frodo stood near the open door and watched the white chalky path turn into a little river of milk and go bubbling away down into the valley. Tom Bombadil came trotting round the corner of the house waving his arms as if he was warding off the rain—and indeed when he sprang over the threshold he seemed quite dry, except for his boots... ...'This is Goldberry's washing day,' he said, 'and her autumn-cleaning. Too wet for hobbit-folk—let them rest while they are able! It's a good day for long tales, for questions and for answers, so Tom will start the talking. ...He then told them many remarkable stories, sometimes half as if speaking to himself, sometimes looking at them suddenly with a bright blue eye under his deep brows... ...As they listened, they began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves, indeed to feel themselves as the strangers where all other things were at home... ......Then suddenly he stopped, and they saw that he nodded as if he was falling asleep. The hobbits sat still before him, enchanted... ...Whether the morning and evening of one day or of many days had passed Frodo could not tell. He did not feel either hungry or tired, only filled with wonder... ...He spoke at last out of his wonder and a sudden fear of that silence: ...'Who are you, Master?' he asked. ...'Eh, what?' said Tom sitting up, and his eyes glinting in the gloom. 'Don't you know my name yet? That's the only answer. Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that's what I am... ...Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless—before the Dark Lord came from Outside...'

......'Show me the precious Ring!' he said suddenly in the midst of the story: and Frodo, to his own astonishment, drew out the chain from his pocket, and unfastening the Ring handed it at once to Tom. ...It seemed to grow larger as it lay... ...on his big brown-skinned hand. Then suddenly he put it to his eye and laughed. For a second the hobbits had a vision both comical and alarming, of his bright blue eyes gleaming through a circle of gold. Then Tom put the Ring round the end of his little finger and held it up to the candlelight. For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing! ...Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air—and it vanished with a flash. Frodo gave a cry—and Tom leaned forward and handed it back to him with a smile. ...Frodo looked at it closely, and rather suspiciously... ...He was perhaps a trifle annoyed with Tom for seeming to make so light of what even Gandalf thought so perilously important. He waited for an opportunity when the talk was going again... ...then he slipped the Ring on. Merry turned towards him to say something and gave a start, and checked an exclamation. Frodo was delighted (in a way)... ...He got up and crept quietly away from the fireside towards the outer door. ...'Hey there!' cried Tom, glancing towards him with a most seeing look in his shining eyes. 'Hey! come Frodo, there! Where be you a-going? Old Tom Bombadil's not as blind as that yet. Take off your golden ring! Your hand's more fair without it. Come back! Leave your game and sit down beside me! We must talk a while more, and think about the morning. Tom must teach the right road, and keep your feet from wandering.'

......Then he taught them a rhyme to sing, if they should by ill-luck fall into any danger of difficulty the next day.

Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo!

By water, wood and hill, by reed and willow,

by fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us!

Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!"

September 27, 3019 (S.R. 1419)1. The Travellers are still on the road.(determined from text)...The hobbits rest with Bilbo in Rivendell.

September 27, 3021 (S.R. 1421)1. The Company rides to the Grey Havens.(not from the appendices)[.. "Elrond and Galadriel rode on; for the Third Age was over, and the Days of the Rings were passed, and an end was come to the story and song of those times. With them went many Elves of the High Kindred who would no longer stay in Middle-earth; and among them, filled with a sadness that was yet blessed and without bitterness, rode Sam, and Frodo, and Bilbo, and the Elves delighted to honour them. [.. Though they rode through the midst of the Shire... ...all the night, none saw them pass, save the wild creatures; or here and there some wanderer in the dark who saw a swift shimmer under the trees, or a light and shadow flowing through the grass as the Moon went westward." 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

September 28, 2941 (S.R. 1341) 1. Thorin and Company enjoy their stay in Lake-town.(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth-no text)...Bilbo nurses a bad cold as he and the dwarves continue to enjoy the hospitality and praise of Lake-town's inhabitants. The hobbit was about as comfortable staying in a man-built house hovering over the water as he was in the eagles' eyrie. After the nearly disastrous ride down the river atop an unstable barrel, he was anxious for the dwarves to finish their business here and leave for the mountain. Even with the prospect of facing the worm Smaug, he wanted to get on with what they came to do and return to his own cozy hole under the hill.

September 28, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Gandalf reaches Sarn Ford.(from the appendices)...As Shadowfax goes through his paces, Gandalf races for Hobbiton from Rohan to intercept Frodo... fearing the worst. ..."I reached the Shire when Frodo was on the Barrow-downs, though I set out from Rohan only when he set out from Hobbiton."

2. The Hobbits captured by a Barrow-wight.(from the appendices)..."...they woke suddenly and uncomfortably from a sleep they had never meant to take... ...The hobbits sprang to their feet in alarm, and ran to the western rim. They found that they were upon an island in the fog. Even as they looked out in dismay towards the setting sun, it sank before their eyes into a white sea, and a cold grey shadow sprang up in the East behind... ......Their going was very slow. To prevent their getting separated and wandering in different directions they went in file, with Frodo leading. Sam was behind him, and after him came Pippin, and then Merry. The valley seemed to stretch on endlessly.... ...'Come on! Follow me!' Frodo called back over his shoulder, and he hurried forward. But his hope soon changed to bewilderment and alarm. The dark patches grew darker but they shrank; and suddenly he saw, towering ominous before him and leaning slightly towards one another like the pillars of a headless door, two huge standing stones. He could not remember having seen any sign of these in the valley, when he looked out from the hill in the morning.... ...His pony reared and snorted, and he fell off. When he looked back he found that he was alone: the others had not followed him. ...'Sam!' he called. 'Pippin! Merry! Come along! Why don't you keep up?' There was no answer. Fear took him, and he ran back past the stones shouting wildly: 'Sam! Sam! Merry! Pippin!' The pony bolted into the mist and vanished. From some way off, or so it seemed, he thought he heard a cry: 'Hoy! Frodo! Hoy!' ...Then a cry that sounded like help, help! that trailed off into a long wail suddenly cut short. He stumbled forward with all the speed he could towards the cries; but the light was now gone, and clinging night had closed about him... ......To his right there loomed against the westward stars a dark black shape. A great barrow stood there. ...'Where are you?' he cried again, both angry and afraid. ...'Here!' said a voice, deep and cold, that seemed to come out of the ground. 'I am waiting for you!' ...'No!' said Frodo; but he did not run away. His knees gave, and he fell on the ground.... ...Then suddenly he knew that he was imprisoned, caught hopelessly; he was in a barrow. A Barrow-wight had taken him, and he was probably already under the dreadful spells of the Barrow-wights about which whispered tales spoke.

...As he lay there, thinking and getting a hold on himself, he noticed all at once that the darkness was slowly giving way: a pale greenish light was growing round him. It did not at first show him what kind of a place he was in, for the light seemed to be coming out of himself, and from the floor beside him, and had not yet reached the roof or wall. He turned, and there in the cold glow he saw lying beside him, Sam, Pippin, and Merry. They were on their backs, and their faces looked deathly pale; and they were clad in white. About them lay many treasures... ...Swords lay by their sides, and shields were at their feet. But across their three necks lay one long naked sword...

......At first Frodo felt as if he had indeed been turned into stone by the incantation... ...But the courage that had been awakened in him was now too strong... ...he seized a short sword that lay beside him, and kneeling he stooped low over the bodies of his companions. With what strength he had he hewed at the crawling arm near the wrist, and the hand broke off; but at the same moment the sword splintered up to the hilt....

......All at once back into his mind, from which it had disappeared with the first coming of the fog, came the memory of the house down under the Hill, and of Tom singing. He remembered the rhyme that Tom had taught them. In a small desperate voice he began: Ho! Tom Bombadil! and with that name his voice seemed to grow strong: it had a full and lively sound, and the dark chamber echoed as if to drum and trumpet.

Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo!

By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow,

By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us!

Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!

......There was a loud rumbling sound, as of stones rolling and falling, and suddenly light streamed in, real light, the plain light of day. A low door-like opening appeared at the end of the chamber beyond Frodo's feet; and there was Tom's head (hat, feather, and all)... '...Come, friend Frodo!' said Tom. 'Let us get out on to the clean grass! You must help me bear them.' Together they carried out Merry, Pippin, and Sam... ...To Frodo's great joy the hobbits stirred, stretched their arms, rubbed their eyes, and then suddenly sprang up. They looked about in amazement, first at Frodo, and then at Tom standing large as life on the barrow-top above them... ......For each of the hobbits he chose a dagger, long, leaf-shaped, and keen, of marvellous workmanship, damasked with serpent-forms in red and gold. They gleamed as he drew them from their black sheaths, wrought of some strange metal, light and strong, and set with many fiery stones... '...these blades were forged many long years ago by Men of Westernesse: they were foes of the Dark Lord, but they were overcome by the evil king of Carn Dum in the Land of Angmar. Few now remember them,' Tom murmured, 'yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.' ...The hobbits did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a vision as it were of a great expanse of years behind them, like a vast shadowy plain over which there strode shapes of Men, tall and grim with bright swords, and last came one with a star on his brow. Then the vision faded..."

September 28, 3021 (S.R. 1421)1. The Company rides to the Grey Havens.(not from the appendices-no text)...Sam was quiet as he rode beside Frodo who was also silent and reflective. The terrain was changing and there was a scent of the sea in the air. Sam struggled with the thoughts of what to say or do to try and change Frodo's purpose, but he knew his master's mind was set. Thinking back he considered how for months he failed to recognize Frodo's pain and discontent as signs that there was no hope of healing for him in the Shire. 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

September 29, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Frodo reaches Bree at night.(from the appendices)..."...Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes... ...Over the door was painted in white letters: The Prancing Pony by Barliman Butterbur.... ...Frodo went forward and nearly bumped into a short fat man with a bald head and a red face... '...Half a minute, if you please!' shouted the man over his shoulder, and vanished into a babel of voices and a cloud of smoke. In a moment he was out again, wiping his hands on his apron. ...'Good evening, little master!' he said, bending down. 'What may you be wanting?' ...'Beds for four, and stabling for five ponies, if that can be managed. Are you Mr. Butterbur?' ...'That's right! Barliman is my name! Barliman Butterbur at your service! You're from the Shire, eh...? ...Hobbits!' he cried. 'Now what does that remind me of...?'

......The landlord hovered round for a little, and then proposed to leave them. 'I don't know whether you would care to join the company, when you have supped,' he said... '...We don't get Outsiders—travellers from the Shire, I should say, begging your pardon...' ......Frodo, Pippin and Sam decided to join the company. Merry said it would be too stuffy. 'I shall sit here quietly by the fire for a bit, and perhaps go out later for a sniff of the air. Mind your Ps and Qs, and don't forget that you are supposed to be escaping in secret...' ......As soon as the Shire-hobbits entered, there was a chorus of welcome from the Bree-landers. The strangers, especially those that had come up the Greenway, stared at them curiously.... ...Sam and Pippin, where were now feeling quite at home, and were chatting gaily about events in the Shire.... ......Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits. ...'Who is that?' Frodo asked, when he got a chance to whisper to Mr. Butterbur... ...'Him?' said the landlord... ...cocking an eye without turning his head. 'I don't rightly know. He is one of the wandering folk—Rangers we call them. He seldom talks: not but what he can tell a rare tale when he has the mind. He disappears for a month, or a year, and then he pops up again. He was in and out pretty often last spring; but I haven't seen him about lately. What his right name is I've never heard: but he's known round here as Strider. Goes about at a great pace on his long shanks...' ...Frodo found that Strider was now looking at him..."

2. Gandalf visits the Gaffer.(from the appendices)..."But fear grew in me as I rode. Ever as I came north I heard tidings of the Riders, and though I gained on them day by day, they were ever before me. They had divided their forces... ...some remained on the eastern borders, not from the Greenway, and some invaded the Shire from the south. I came to Hobbiton and Frodo had gone; but I had words with old Gamgee. Many words and few to the point. He had much to say about the short-comings of the new owners of Bag End... ...I gathered at last that Frodo had left Hobbiton less than a week before, and that a black horseman had come to the Hill the same evening. Then I rode on in fear..."

September 29, 3021 (S.R. 1421)1. They come to the Grey Havens.(from the appendices)..."...they came to the Far Downs, and to the Towers, and looked on the distant Sea; and so they rode down at last to Mithlond, to the Grey Havens in the long firth of Lune. ...As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them... ...and he looked at them and bowed, and said: 'All is now ready.' ...Then Círdan led them to the Havens, and there was a white ship lying, and upon the quay stood a figure robed all in white awaiting them. As he turned and came towards them Frodo saw that it was Gandalf; and on his hand he wore the Third Ring, Narya the Great, and the stone upon it was red as fire. Then those who were to go were glad, for they knew that Gandalf also would take ship with them."

2. Frodo and Bilbo depart over the Sea with the Three Keepers. (from the appendices)..."But Sam was now sorrowful at heart, and it seemed to him that if the parting would be bitter, more grievous still would be the long road home alone. But even as they stood there, and the Elves were going aboard, and all was being made ready to depart, up rode Merry and Pippin in great haste. And amid his tears Pippin laughed. ...'You tried to give us the slip once before and failed, Frodo... ...This time you have nearly succeeded... ...It was not Sam, though, that gave you away this time, but Gandalf himself!' ...'Yes,' said Gandalf; 'for it will be better to ride back three together than one alone. Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.' ...Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away... ...the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost. And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West...

......to Sam the evening deepened to darkness as he stood at the Haven; and as he looked at the grey sea he saw only a shadow on the waters... ...There still he stood far into the night, hearing only the sigh and murmur of the waves on the shores of Middle-earth, and the sound of them sank deep into his heart. Beside him stood Merry and Pippin, and they were silent. ...At last the three companions turned away, and never again looking back they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire, but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road."

3. The end of the Third age.(from the appendices)..."...The Third Age was over, and the Days of the rings were passed, and an end was come of the story and song of those times. With them went many Elves of the High Kindred who would no longer stay in Middle-earth..."

September 30, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Crickhollow and the Inn at Bree are raided in the early hours.(from the appendices)..."...enemies were in Buckland, some strange invasion from the Old Forest. And they lost no more time.

FEAR! FIRE! FOES!

...The Brandybucks were blowing the Horn-call of Buckland, that had not sounded for a hundred years, not since the white wolves came in the Fell Winter, when the Brandywine was frozen over.

FEAR! FIRE! FOES!

...Far-away answering horns were heard. The alarm was spreading. ...The black figures fled from the house. One of them let fall a hobbit-cloak on the step, as he ran. In the lane the noise of hoofs broke out, and gathering to a gallop, went hammering away into the darkness. All about Crickhollow there was the sound of horns blowing, and voices crying and feet running. But the Black Riders rode like a gale to the North Gate. Let the little people blow! Sauron would deal with them later...

......In the early night Frodo woke from deep sleep, suddenly, as if some sound or presence had disturbed him. He saw that Strider was sitting alert in his chair: his eyes gleamed in the light of the fire... ...Frodo soon went to sleep again; but his dreams were again troubled with the noise of wind and of galloping hoofs... ......As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad that they had taken his advice: the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor... '...We will leave at once,' said Strider. 'Never mind about breakfast: a drink and a bite standing will have to do. We shall be packed in a few minutes....' ......The ponies had vanished! The stable-doors had all been opened in the night, and they were gone... ...Strider sat silent for a while, looking at the hobbits, as if he was weighing up their strength and courage. 'Ponies would not help us to escape horsemen,' he said at last, thoughtfully, as if he guessed what Frodo had in mind. 'We should not go much slower on foot, not on the roads that I mean to take. I was going to walk in any case. It is the food and stores that trouble me.... ...How much are you prepared to carry on your backs?' ...'As much as we must,' said Pippin with a sinking heart, but trying to show that he was tougher than he looked (or felt). 'I can carry enough for two,' said Sam defiantly...' ......No horse or pony was to be got for love or money in the neighbourhood—except one: Bill Ferny had one that he might possibly sell. 'A poor old half-starved creature it is,' said Bob; 'but he won't part with it for less than thrice its worth, seeing how you're placed, not if I knows Bill Ferny...'"

2. Frodo leaves Bree.(from the appendices)... "...They said goodbye to Nob and Bob, and took leave of Mr. Butterbur with many thanks... ...Sam was chewing an apple thoughtfully. He had a pocket full of them... '...Apples for walking, and a pipe for sitting,' he said. 'But I reckon I'll miss them both before long...' ...Over the hedge another man was staring boldly... '...Morning, Longshanks!' he said. 'Off early? Found some friends at last?' Strider nodded, but did not answer. ...'Morning, my little friends!' he said to the others. 'I suppose you know who you've taken up with? That's Stick-at-nought Strider, that is! Though I've heard other names not so pretty. Watch out tonight! And you, Sammie, don't go ill-treating my poor old pony! Pah!' He spat again. ...Sam turned quickly. 'And you, Ferny,' he said, 'put your ugly face out of sight, or it will get hurt.' With a sudden flick, quick as lightning, an apple left his hand and hit Bill square on the nose. He ducked too late, and curses came from behind the hedge. 'Waste of a good apple,' said Sam regretfully, and strode on."

3. Gandalf comes to Crickhollow, and reaches Bree at night.(from the appendices)... " '...I came to Buckland and found it in uproar, as busy as a hive of ants that has been stirred with a stick. I came to the house at Crickhollow, and it was broken open and empty; but on the threshold there lay a cloak that had been Frodo's. Then for a while hope left me, and I did not wait to gather news, or I might have been comforted; but I rode on the trail of the Riders. It was hard to follow, for it went many ways... ...But it seemed to me that one or two had ridden towards Bree; and that way I went, for I thought of words that might be said to the innkeeper.' "Butterbur they call him," thought I. "If this delay was his fault, I will melt all the butter in him. I will roast the old fool over a slow fire..." ...'So overjoyed was I by the news that I got out of him, when he stopped quaking, that I embraced the old fellow... ...I learned that you had gone off that morning with Strider....' '"Ass! Fool! Thrice worthy and beloved Barliman!" said I. "It's the best news I have had since midsummer: it's worth a gold piece at the least. May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!"'" 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

October 1, 2941 (S.R. 1341) 1. Bilbo and the Dwarves continue to enjoy the hospitality and praise of Lake-town. (not from the appendices-no text)...Bilbo was beginning to get used to hearing the sound of water under the floor of the wooden house where he was staying. It still felt as if he was on a boat which was at times unsettling. Especially during strong weather. The food of Lake-town, however, was very good. Most of the meals included something from the water such as fish or water fowl that he found he liked very much and enjoyed whenever he could get it for years to come.

October 1, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Gandalf leaves Bree.(from the appendices)..."'So I stayed there that night, wondering much what had become of the Riders; for only of two had there yet been any news in Bree, it seemed. But in the night we heard more. Five at least came from the west, and they threw down the gates and passed through Bree like a howling wind; and the Bree-folk are still shivering and expecting the end of the world. I got up before dawn and went after them.... ......it seems clear to me that this is what happened. Their Captain remained in secret away south of Bree, while two rode ahead through the village, and four more invaded the Shire. But when these were foiled in Bree and at Crickhollow, they returned to their Captain with tidings, and so left the Road unguarded for a while except by their spies. The Captain sent some eastward straight across country, and he himself with the rest rode along the Road in great wrath.'"

2. But where's he leadin' us? [Aragorn makes for Weathertop](not from the appendices)..."Whether because of Strider's skill or for some other reason, they saw no sign and heard no sound of any other living thing... ...they began to steer a steady course eastwards; and still all was quiet and peaceful."

October 1, 3019 (S.R. 1419)1. The hobbits rest with Bilbo in Rivendell.(not from the appendices-no text)...Bilbo never tired of watching the hobbits' awe with every new discovery as he guided them to another garden or workshop. Sam was delighted to finally learn how to make elven rope.

October 2, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. The hobbits and Strider leave Chetwood.(not from the appendices)..."...they came out of the Chetwood. The land had been falling steadily, ever since they turned aside from the Road, and they now entered a wide flat expanse of country, much more difficult to manage. They were far beyond the borders of the Bree-land, out in the pathless wilderness, and drawing near to the Midgewater Marshes. ...The ground now became damp, and in places boggy ... ...and wide stretches of reeds and rushes filled with the warbling of little hidden birds. They had to pick their way carefully to keep both dry-footed and on their proper course. At first they made fair progress, but as they went on, their passage became slower and more dangerous. The marshes were bewildering and treacherous, and there was no permanent trail even for Rangers to find through their shifting quagmires. The flies began to torment them, and the air was full of clouds of tiny midges that crept up their sleeves and breeches and into their hair. ...'I am being eaten alive!' cried Pippin. 'Midgewater! There are more midges than water!' ...'What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?' asked Sam, scratching his neck."

October 2, 3020 (S.R. 1420)1. Sam enjoys being home in his Shire.(not from the appendices)..."All thing now went well, with hope always of becoming still better; and Sam was as busy and as full of delight as even a hobbit could wish. Nothing for him marred that whole year, except for some vague anxiety about his master."

October 2, 3021 (S.R. 1421)1. Sam's long ride home from the Havens.(not from the appendices-no text)...Sam's mind wandered as he rode silently next to Pippin. He thought of the time that had passed since their return from Rivendell. Frodo seemed healed and at peace during their long stay with Bilbo in Imladris, but since they left that realm, Sam knew he suffered from unrest. Why would Frodo hide from him the depth of his wounds? There must have been something he could have done to ease his burden.

all the night, none saw them pass, save the wild creatures; or here and there some wanderer in the dark who saw a swift shimmer under the trees, or a light and shadow flowing through the grass as the Moon went westward."

Tolkien writes so beautifully. <3

Are you going to be in NY for the HObbit Party, Gramma? =) "By Elbereth and Luthien the fair, you shall have neither the Ring nor me!" ~Frodo

"And then Gandalf arose and bid all men rise, and they rose, and he said: 'Here is a last hail ere the feast endeth. Last but not least. For I name now those who shall not be forgotten and without whose valour nought else that was done would have availed; and I name before you all Frodo of the Shire and Samwise his servant. And the bards and the minstrels should give them new names: Bronwe athan Harthad and Harthad Uluithiad , Endurance beyond Hope and Hope Unquenchable.." ~Gandalf, The End of the Third Age , from The History of Middle Earth series

October 3, 2941 (S.R. 1341) 1. It was nearing time to leave.(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth-no text)...Bilbo was finally over his cold. While Thorin and the Dwarves seemed in no rush to get underway, he grew restless to finally leave for the Lonely Mountain forever looming in the distance. He longed for the comfort of his hole under the hill and familiar surroundings.

October 3, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. He (Gandalf) is attacked at night on Weathertop.(from the appendices)..."'I galloped to Weathertop like a gale, and I reached it before sundown on my second day from Bree—and they were there before me. They drew away from me, for they felt the coming of my anger and they dared not face it while the Sun was in the sky. But they closed round at night, and I was besieged on the hill-top, in the old ring of Amon Sûl. I was hard put to it indeed: such light and flame cannot have been seen on Weathertop since the war-beacons of old.'"

[He left clues:]..."'...I should say,' answered Strider, 'that [the marks] stood for G3, and were a sign that Gandalf was here on October the third... ...It would also show that he was in a hurry and danger was at hand, so that he had no time or did not dare to write anything longer or plainer. If that is so, we must be wary.' ...'I wish we could feel sure that he made the marks, whatever they may mean,' said Frodo. 'It would be a great comfort to know that he was on the way, in front of us or behind us.'"

2. Into the wild...and into the marshes.(not from the appendices)..."...They spent a miserable day in this lonely and unpleasant country. Their camping-place was damp, cold, and uncomfortable; and the biting insects would not let them sleep. There were also abominable creatures haunting the reeds and tussocks that from the sound of them were evil relatives of the cricket (wetas?). There were thousands of them, and they squeaked all round, neek-breek, breek-neek, unceasingly all the night, until the hobbits were nearly frantic....

......Though the neekerbreekers had been left behind, the midges still pursued them. As Frodo lay tired but unable to close his eyes, it seemed to him that far away there came a light in the eastern sky: it flashed and faded many times. It was not the dawn, for that was still some hours off. ...'What is the light?' he said to Strider, who had risen, and was standing, gazing ahead into the night. ...'I do not know,' Strider answered. 'It is too distant to make out... ...like lightning that leaps up from the hilltops.' ...Frodo lay down again, but for a long while he could still see the white flashes, and against them the tall dark figure of Strider, standing silent and watchful. At last he passed into uneasy sleep."

October 3, 3019 (S.R. 1419)1. Sam and Frodo feel the call to leave.(not from the appendices)..."'Well, Mr. Frodo, we've been far and seen a deal, and yet I don't think we've found a better place than this. There's something of everything here, if you understand me: the Shire and the Golden Wood and Gondor and Kings' houses and inns and meadows and mountains all mixed. And yet... ...I feel we ought to be going soon. I'm worried about my gaffer, to tell you the truth.' ...'Yes, something of everything, Sam, except the Sea,' Frodo had answered; and he repeated it now to himself: 'Except the Sea.'" 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

October 4, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Gandalf leaves Weathertop and rides to Rivendell.(from the appendices)..."'At sunrise I escaped and fled towards the north. I could not hope to do more. It was impossible to find you... ...and it would have been folly to try with all the Nine at my heels. So I had to trust to Aragorn. But I hoped to draw some of them off, and yet reach Rivendell ahead of you and send out help. Four Riders did indeed follow me, but they turned back after a while and made for the Ford, it seems. That helped a little, for there were only five, not nine, when your camp was attacked.'"

October 4, 3019 (S.R. 1419)1. The hobbits reach the end of their rest in Rivendell.(not from the appendices)..."When nearly a fortnight had passed Frodo looked out of his window... ...suddenly he knew that he must go, and say good-bye to Bilbo.... ...He had a feeling that it was time he went back to the Shire. Sam shared it.... ...In the evening they went to say good-bye to Bilbo. 'Well, if you must go... ...I am sorry, I shall miss you. It is nice just to know that you are about the place. But I am getting very sleepy.' Then he gave Frodo his mithril-coat and Sting, forgetting that he had already done so; and he gave him also three books of lore that he had made at various times, written in his spidery hand, and labelled on their red backs: Translations from the Elvish, by B. B. ...To Sam he gave a little bag of gold. 'Almost the last drop of the Smaug vintage... ...May come in useful, if you think of getting married, Sam.' Sam blushed. ...'I have nothing much to give to you young fellows,' he said to Merry and Pippin, 'except good advice.' And when he had given them a fair sample of this, he added a last item in Shire-fashion: 'Don't let your heads get too big for your hats... ...you are going to find hats and clothes expensive.' ...'But if you want to beat the Old Took,' said Pippin, 'I don't see why we shouldn't try and beat the Bullroarer.' ...Bilbo laughed, and he produced out a pocket two beautiful pipes with pearl mouth-pieces and bound with fine-wrought silver. 'Think of me when you smoke them... ...The Elves made them for me, but I don't smoke now.' And suddenly he nodded and went to sleep for a little; and when he woke up again he said: 'Now where were we? Yes, of course, giving presents. Which reminds me: what's become of my ring, Frodo, that you took away?' ...'I have lost it, Bilbo dear,' said Frodo. 'I got rid of it, you know.' ...'What a pity!' said Bilbo. 'I should have liked to see it again. But no, how silly of me! That's what you went for, wasn't it: to get rid of it? But it is all so confusing...'" 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

October 5, 2941 (S.R. 1341) The Elven King suspected the Dwarves' intentions.(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth-no text)..."[Thranduil] did not believe in the dwarves fighting and killing dragons like Smaug, and he strongly suspected attempted burglary or something like it—which shows he was a wise elf and wiser than the men of the town, though not quite right, as we shall see in the end. He sent out his spies about the shores of the lake and as far northward towards the Mountains as they would go, and waited."

October 5, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Gandalf draws the Nazgûl away from Weathertop.(not from the appendices)..."'I hoped to draw some of them off... ...Four Riders did indeed follow me...'"

2. Day six in the Wild(not from the appendices)..."'... they left the last straggling pools and reed-beds of the marshes behind them... ...Away in the distance eastward they could now see a line of hills. The highest of them was at the right of the line and a little separated from the others. It had a conical top, slightly flattened at the summit. ...'That is Weathertop,' said Strider. 'The Old Road, which we have left far away on our right, runs to the south of it and passes not far from its foot. We might reach it by noon tomorrow, if we go straight towards it. I suppose we had better do so.' ...'What do you mean?' asked Frodo. ...'I mean: when we do get there, it is not certain what we shall find. It is close to the Road.' ...'But surely we were hoping to find Gandalf there?' ...'Yes; but the hope is faint... ...it is not safe for him or for us to wait there long... ...there are many birds and beasts in the country that could see us, as we stand here, from that hilltop. Not all the birds are to be trusted, and there are other spies more evil than they are.' ...The hobbits looked anxiously at the distant hills. Sam looked up into the pale sky, fearing to see hawks or eagles hovering over them with bright unfriendly eyes. 'You do make me feel uncomfortable and lonesome, Strider!' he said."

October 5, 3019 (S.R. 1419)1. Gandalf and the Hobbits leave Rivendell.(from the appendices)..."...Gandalf and the hobbits took leave of Bilbo in his room, for it was cold out of doors; and then they said farewell to Elrond and all his household. ...As Frodo stood upon the threshold, Elrond wished him a fair journey, and blessed him... ...'I think, Frodo, that maybe you will not need to come back, unless you come very soon. For about this time of the year, when the leaves are gold before they fall, look for Bilbo in the woods of the Shire. I shall be with him.' ...These words no one else heard, and Frodo kept them to himself. ...At last the hobbits had their faces turned towards home. They were eager now to see the Shire again; but at first they rode only slowly, for Frodo had been ill at ease...'"

October 5, 3021 (S.R. 1421)1. The Grey Havens are left behind, the Shire lies ahead.(not from the appendices-no text)...The hobbits were in familiar lands now coming to their last evening of travel. While Pippin and Merry prepared camp for the night, Sam wandered down to a nearby stream. He was still troubled and thought a splash of cold water would clear his mind. As he washed his face and the back of his neck, he raised up and caught his reflection on the water's surface. Lingering, he found himself studying the small scar near his hairline. It stirred thoughts of Frodo lying stricken for days in Rivendell; bound in a darkened filthy room high in the tower; lifeless below the cliff; struggling through Mordor's brutal lands under the torment of the Eye and the Ring, and Sam suddenly understood that there was nothing he could do to change what had happened or what was happening. He realized Frodo's choice was the only one left for him. ...He stood for a moment and sighed while looking at the glowing image of the moon and stars reflected on the calm water. Then he turned and walked back to join the others. 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

I think this was the first true realization of the end, to me: the beginning of the end of the year-cycle, the start of the final beauty, the hint that there was something yet to happen that would reflect the fading of the year - and of certain Days in Middle-earth...

Words so lovely, yet they touch the heart with an inevitable sadness... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 6, 2941 (S.R. 1341) 1. Thorin requests supplies(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)..."At the end of a fortnight Thorin began to think of departure. While the enthusiasm still lasted in the town was the time to get help. It would not do to let everything cool down with delay. So he spoke to the Master... ...and said that soon he and his company must go on towards the Mountain. ...Then for the first time the Master was surprised and a little frightened; and he wondered if Thorin was after all really a descendant of the old kings. He had never thought that the dwarves would actually dare to approach Smaug... ...He was wrong. Thorin, of course, was really the grandson of the King under the Mountain, and there is no knowing what a dwarf will not dare and do for revenge or the recovery of his own. ...But the Master was not sorry at all to let them go. They were expensive to keep, and their arrival had turned things into a long holiday in which business was at a standstill. "Let them go and bother Smaug, and see how he welcomes them!" he thought. "Certainly, O Thorin Thráin 's son Thrór's son..! ...You must claim your own. The hour is at hand, spoken of old. What help we can offer shall be yours, and we trust to your gratitude when your kingdom is regained.""

October 6, 3018 (S.R. 1418)1. Gandalf heads for Rivendell after escaping Weathertop.(not from the appendices)..."I hoped to draw some of them off, and yet reach Rivendell ahead of you and send out help. Four Riders did indeed follow me, but they turned back after a while and made for the Ford, it seems. That helped a little, for there were only five, not nine, when your camp was attacked.'

2. The camp under Weathertop attacked at night. Frodo is wounded.(from the appendices)..."Well, here we are!' said Merry. 'And very cheerless and uninviting it looks! There is no water and no shelter. And no sign of Gandalf. But I don't blame him for not waiting—if he ever came here....' ......They stood for a while silent on the hill-top, near its southward edge. In that lonely place Frodo for the first time fully realized his homelessness and danger. He wished bitterly that his fortune had left him in the quiet and beloved Shire. He stared down at the hateful Road, leading back westward—to his home. Suddenly he was aware that two black specks were moving slowly along it... ...and looking again he saw that three others were creeping eastward to meet them. He gave a cry and clutched Strider's arm. ...'Look,' he said, pointing downwards. ...At once Strider flung himself on the ground behind the ruined circle, pulling Frodo down beside him. Merry threw himself alongside. ...'What is it?' he whispered. ...'I do not know, but I fear the worst,' answered Strider...

[later]

......Sam and Merry got up and walked away from the fire. Frodo and Pippin remained seated in silence. Strider was watching the moonlight on the hill intently. All seemed quiet and still, but Frodo felt a cold dread creeping over his heart, now that Strider was no longer speaking. He huddled closed to the fire... ...Sam came running back from the edge of the dell. ...'I don't know what it is,' he said, 'but I suddenly felt afraid. I durstn't go outside this dell for any money; I felt that something was creeping up the slope....' ...'Keep close to the fire, with your faces outward!' cried Strider. 'Get some of the longer sticks ready in your hands..!' ......Over the lip of the little dell, on the side away from the hill, they felt, rather than saw, a shadow rise... ...Soon there could be no doubt: three or four tall black figures were standing there on the slope, looking down on them. So black were they that they seemed like black holes in the deep shade behind them... ...Then the shapes slowly advanced. ...Terror overcame Pippin and Merry, and they threw themselves flat on the ground. Sam shrank to Frodo's side. Frodo was hardly less terrified than his companions; he was quaking as if he was bitter cold, but his terror was swallowed up in a sudden temptation to put on the Ring. The desire to do this laid hold of him, and he could think of nothing else... ...He could not speak. He felt Sam looking at him, as if he knew that his master was in some great trouble, but he could not turn towards him. He shut his eyes and struggled for a while; but resistance became unbearable, and at last he slowly drew out the chain, and slipped the Ring on the forefinger of his left hand. ...Immediately, though everything else remained as before, dim and dark, the shapes became terribly clear. He was able to see beneath their black wrappings. There were five tall figures; two standing on the lip of the dell, three advancing... ...Their eyes fell on him and pierced him, as they rushed towards him. Desperate, he drew his own sword, and it seemed to him that it flickered red, as if it was a firebrand. Two of the figures halted. The third was taller than the others: his hair was long and gleaming and on his helm was a crown. In one hand he held a long sword, and in the other a knife; both the knife and the hand that held it glowed with a pale light. He sprang forward and bore down on Frodo. ...At that moment Frodo threw himself forward on the ground, and he heard himself crying aloud: O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! At the same time he struck at the feet of his enemy. A shrill cry rang out in the night; and he felt a pain like a dart of poisoned ice pierce his left shoulder. Even as he swooned he caught... ...a glimpse of Strider leaping out of the darkness with a flaming brand of wood in either hand. With a last effort, dropping his sword, Frodo slipped the Ring from his finger and closed his right hand tight upon it. ...When Frodo came to himself he was still clutching the Ring desperately. He was lying by the fire, which was now piled high and burning brightly. His three companions were bending over him. ...'What has happened? Where is the pale king?' he asked wildly....

......Sam plainly was beginning to have doubts again about Strider; but while they were talking he returned, appearing suddenly out of the shadows. They started, and Sam drew his sword and stood over Frodo; but Strider knelt down swiftly by his side. ...'I am not a Black Rider, Sam,' he said gently, 'nor in league with them. I have been trying to discover something of their movements; but I have found nothing. I cannot think why they have gone and do not attack again. But there is no feeling of their presence anywhere at hand.' ...When he heard what Frodo had to tell, he became full of concern, and shook his head and sighed... ...he got up and walked away, and called Sam to him. 'I think I understand things better now,' he said in a low voice. 'There seem only to have been five of the enemy. Why they were not all here, I don't know; but I don't think they expected to be resisted... ...They will come again another night, if we cannot escape. They are only waiting, because they think that their purpose is almost accomplished, and that the Ring cannot fly much further. I fear, Sam, that they believe your master has a deadly wound that will subdue him to their will. We shall see!' ...Sam choked with tears. 'Don't despair!' said Strider. 'You must trust me now. Your Frodo is made of sterner stuff than I had guessed, though Gandalf hinted that it might prove so. He is not slain, and I think he will resist the evil power of the wound longer than his enemies will expect. I will do all I can to help and heal him. Guard him well, while I am away!' He hurried off and disappeared again into the darkness.'"

October 6, 3019 (S.R. 1419)1. They cross the Ford of Bruinen; Frodo feels the first return of pain.(from the appendices)..."When they came to the Ford of Bruinen, [Frodo] had halted, and seemed loth to ride into the stream; and they noted that for a while his eyes appeared not to see them or things about him. All that day he was silent. It was the sixth of October. ...'Are you in pain, Frodo?' said Gandalf quietly as he rode by Frodo's side. ...'Well, yes I am... ...It is my shoulder. The wound aches, and the memory of darkness is heavy on me. It was a year ago today.' ...'Alas! there are some wounds that cannot be wholly cured,' said Gandalf. ...'I fear it may be so with mine,' said Frodo. 'There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?' ...Gandalf did not answer."

October 6, 3020 (S.R. 1420)1. Frodo is again ill.(from the appendices)..."One evening Sam came into the study and found his master looking very strange. He was very pale and his eyes seemed to see things far away. ...'What's the matter, Mr. Frodo?' said Sam. ...'I am wounded,' he answered, 'wounded; it will never really heal.'"

October 6, 3021 (S.R. 1421)1. Samwise returns to Bag End.(from the appendices)..."At last they rode over the downs and took the East Road, and then Merry and Pippin rode on to Buckland; and already they were singing again as they went. But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more... ...there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap. ...He drew a deep breath. 'Well, I'm back,' he said." 5th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - August 11, 20131st draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - August 11, 2013

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."

What a shock to the Master of Lake-town, that this little rag-tag group does indeed intend to confront the dragon! But might as well hint that a bit of remuneration, should the impossible come true, would be proper. It's going to be very interesting to see how Stephen Fry plays this guy out in the movies!

Meanwhile: "there is no knowing what a dwarf will not dare and do for revenge or the recovery of his own." So true, so sadly true...

Sam, Sam, if you were watching Frodo, why in Middle-earth didn't you grab at his hand or the chain, you must have seen him putting on the Ring if you were looking right at him! Mustn't he have? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~